The Software IP Detective’s Handbook: Measurement, Comparison, and Infringement Detection

6. Copyrights

6.1 The History of Copyrights

The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany around 1440 made it possible for written works to be copied on a large scale. Initially, there was no problem with unauthorized copying, because there was a limited number of printers and they were well known to one another. In England, the first government regulation of printing was not to prevent unauthorized copying but to prevent publication of works critical of the Crown. In 1557 a royal charter for exclusive publishing rights was given to the Worshipful Company of Stationers of London, a group of printers. Every printer who was a member of the group had to register the work to be printed with the Stationers’ Company. Registration ...